Dracula (1979)

In 1913, the charming, seductive and sinister vampire Count Dracula travels to England in search of an immortal bride.

Director:

John Badham

Writers:

W.D. Richter (screenplay), Hamilton Deane (play)

Stars:

Frank Langella, Laurence Olivier, Donald Pleasence

3 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Frank Langella	...	Count Dracula
Laurence Olivier	...	Prof. Abraham Van Helsing
Donald Pleasence	...	Dr. Jack Seward
Kate Nelligan	...	Lucy Seward
Trevor Eve	...	Jonathan Harker
Jan Francis	...	Mina Van Helsing
Janine Duvitski	...	Annie
Tony Haygarth	...	Milo Renfield
Teddy Turner	...	Swales
Sylvester McCoy	...	Walter (as Sylveste McCoy)
Kristine Howarth	...	Mrs. Galloway
Joe Belcher	...	Tom Hindley
Ted Carroll	...	Scarborough Sailor
Frank Birch	...	Harbormaster
Gabor Vernon	...	Captain of Demeter

Storyline

When a ship is wrecked off Whitby, the only survivor, Count Dracula, is discovered lying on the beach by the sickly young Mina Van Helsing, who is visiting her dear friend Lucy Seward. Lucy, her fiancé Jonathan Harker (a solicitor), and her father Dr. Jack Seward (who runs the local asylum) try to make the Count feel welcome to England. The Count quickly takes the life of Mina, and proceeds to romance Lucy, with the intention of making her his greatest bride. Soon after the death of Mina, the Sewards call her father Dr. Abraham Van Helsing to come to their home. As Lucy falls deeper under the spell of the Count, Dr. Van Helsing almost immediately comes to understand that his daughter fell prey to a vampire and discovers the culprit to be none other than the Count himself. Dr. Van Helsing, Dr. Seward, and Harker work together to foil the Count's plans to take Lucy away to his native Transylvania.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | homosexual subtext | jonathan harker character | mina murray character | lucy westenra character | 

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Taglines:

Throughout history, one name has inspired both horror and desire.

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Genres:

Drama | Horror | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

This movie was based upon the second revived theatrical production of the original "Dracula" play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston. It is a play in three acts set in Purley, England during the 1920s. This third Broadway production opened at the Martin Beck Theater in New York City on October 20, 1977 and ran for nine hundred twenty-five performances until January 6, 1980. Universal Pictures' Dracula (1931) had also been based on this stage play, the play having been revived on Broadway around April 1931 at the Revival Royale Theatre. The play was first performed on Broadway at the original Fulton Theatre between October 5, 1927 and May 1928.

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Goofs

Just before dancing with Dracula, Lucy flips over the record on the player and sets it playing again. The record is moving around at a leisurely pace; however, the earliest disc recordings played at around 78 RPM - a much faster speed. Records playable at lower rates were much later inventions.

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Quotes

[Dr.Seward is sending a message to Van Helsing over the phone]
Dr. Jack Seward: Mina has died... No not *lied*! *Died*!

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Alternate Versions

The 2019 Shout! Factory release restores the original theatrical color timing and as a bonus has the previously available desaturated version.

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Connections

Version of Dracula (2006)

User Reviews

Underrated adaptation of Stoker's classic

"Dracula"

Aspect ratio: 2.39:1 (Panavision)

Sound format: Dolby Stereo

The vampire Count Dracula (Frank Langella) arrives in England from Transylvania and targets a wealthy middle-class family, including the daughter of arch-enemy Abraham Van Helsing (Laurence Olivier)...

John Badham's underrated adaptation of Bram Stoker's novel takes most of its cues from the stage play by Hamilton Deane and John L. Balderston (which had launched Bela Lugosi to stardom in 1927), and while it may not be entirely faithful to the book - events are compressed for reasons of timing - it adheres faithfully to the spirit of the thing. It's also an immensely CINEMATIC work which uses the wide Panavision frame in painterly fashion, creating a landscape of Gothic architecture and Victorian excess (note the breathtaking shot looking down from the ceiling inside Dracula's castle, where an ornate spider's web fills the entire screen). Badham and screenwriter W.D. Richter emphasize the film's Romantic elements - helped immeasurably by Langella's complex performance - though the corruption underlying Dracula's handsome exterior is often betrayed by certain details (the Count clawing at a windowpane, seeking entrance to his latest victim; the ghoulish vampiress who continues to rot even as she pursues her lust for human blood, etc.).

Olivier has been criticized in some quarters for his 'silly' European accent, and it's true that his performance lacks some of the dynamism Peter Cushing once brought to the role of Van Helsing, but Olivier comes into his own when confronting Dracula with evidence of his vampirism, and in the deeply moving moment when he drives a stake through his daughter's heart and cradles her corpse in his arms whilst sobbing uncontrollably. The fine supporting cast includes Trevor Eve, Donald Pleasence and a wealth of familiar British character actors (Tony Haygarth, Teddy Turner, Sylvester McCoy, etc.), alongside Canadian actress Kate Nelligan, giving a finely-tuned performance as a potential bride of Dracula. A beautiful film - romantic, tragic, Gothic and sinister, it satisfies in almost every respect, and is ripe for rediscovery. John Williams' glorious music score is the icing on the cake.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Dutch Romanian Russian

Release Date:

20 July 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dracula

Filming Locations:

Shepperton Studios, Shepperton, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,164,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,141,281, 22 July 1979

Gross USA:

$20,158,970

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$20,158,970

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Mirisch Corporation, Universal Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1